Review of Hallberg-Rassy 34

Hallberg-Rassy 34 anno 1998.

Basic specs.

The Hallberg-Rassy 34 or HR 34 aka HR 34 is a sailboat designed by the Argentine maritime architect Germán Frers in the early nineties. A few hundred boats have been produced. The Hallberg-Rassy 34 is built by the Swedish yard Hallberg-Rassy Varvs AB.

Looking for a new boat? Find a Hallberg-Rassy 34 or similar boat for sale

Interior

The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 250.0 liter fresh water capacity.

Rig

The Hallberg-Rassy 34 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

Keel of Hallberg-Rassy 34.

Fin keel

The Hallberg-Rassy 34 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.85 - 1.95 meter (6.07 - 6.37 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

Hallberg-Rassy 34 may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD2003 diesel engine at 28 hp (20 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.1 knots

The fuel tank has a capacity of 155.0 liters (40 US gallons, 34 imperial gallons).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Hallberg-Rassy 34 is 1.98, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Hallberg-Rassy 34 is about 198 kg/cm, alternatively 1109 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 198 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1109 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Hallberg-Rassy 34 is 23.9.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 42% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Hallberg-Rassy 34 is 3.01.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 69% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Hallberg-Rassy 34 is 40%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 46% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just below average.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Hallberg-Rassy 34 is 228 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

62% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Hallberg-Rassy 34 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.2, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 18.9.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 42% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Over- / underrigged

The Hallberg-Rassy 34 has more rig than 46% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly underrigged.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Hallberg-Rassy 34 is 73

The relative speed performance is 73 which means that a it is faster than 73% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 34m² (365 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	32.5 m	(106.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	32.5 m	(106.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	32.5 m	(106.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet	10.3 m	(33.7 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	10.3 m	(33.7 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	25.7 m	(84.3 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	22.6 m	(74.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Cunningham	4.0 m	(13.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap	8.0 m	(26.2 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul	8.0 m	(26.2 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Hallberg-Rassy 34 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.